If you’re trying to lose weight, let’s stop for a minute and define “weight loss.”

It’s important that you get crystal clear on exactlywhat you’re trying to achieve.

It’s commonplace in our daily language to use the phrase, “I’m trying to lose weight” or “My goal is to lose weight.”

And while using a phrase like the ones above does express the gist of what you’re saying, it’s actually a bit troublemaking for the brain.

See, in order for you to achieve your goals, those goals need to be super specific in order for your brain to believe it and help you achieve it.

Also, I want you to get really clearon EXACTLY how you’re trying to change your body.

Are you simply trying to lose weight on the scale? Or, is your actual goal to become smaller, tighter and leaner by reducing your body fat percentage? Because there is a HUGE difference in the two! (And, it’s totally fine if you just want to see a lower number on the scale!)

If you are strength training each week it’s important to understand how the scale is affected if you are using it as a metric for success. Muscle really does weigh more than fat when we are comparing the same volume. This means that 5 pounds of body fat is much bigger in size than 5 pounds of muscle.

After nearly 25 years of coaching women in strength training, I have pretty much given up using the scale as a metric for my clients. Because the scale really does lie if you are strength training each week!

AND, if your goal is to see the number on the scale go down, you’re going to drive yourself crazy if you don’t understand this concept! If you simply want to weigh less on the scale, you’ll want to follow a specific strength protocol that is a bit different than if you want to be tighter and leaner as well.

To understand this more, check out this week’s new video…

This Week’s Exclusive Content

Strength Workout for Weight Loss on The Scale

The key to this concept is that you need to be strength training in order to facilitate weight loss. But, you want to keep it to a minimum in order to avoid adding lean muscle mass IF your primary goal is to see the scale number go down.

My favorite program to achieve this is the Build Your Strength Workout on my Women’s Strength Nation website.

Want to hear even more on this topic?Join me live every Wednesday on Facebook and Instagram and I’ll be talking more in depth and answering your questions. Check out “LIVE with Holly” by clicking HERE.

Hi Holly! After doing all three versions of The Glutes Project and Lift to Get Leaner my body became smaller all over and the scale only dropped a few pounds. To be honest, I no longer care what the scale says! I stick to 4 sessions of strength. As far as cardio, I’ll so 2 or 3 sessions of power walking or zumba. Yoga is in my routine but once a week. I’m an absolute follower of your method and appreciate your dedication to helping women reach their body goals!

Great post Holly. I agree tighter, smaller, leaner, meaner! So if you do 3-4 strength sessions a week, how much cardio should you do and what type? I love dance so I usually do a range of dance classes. I think from what you are saying I may have been doing too much cardio and not enough strength training to hit my goals. Do you give remote training? I am in Australia ….

Hi Rhi,
Depending on your level of fitness, if you’re strength training 3-4 times per week, you should be doing 2-3 cardio sessions per week as well. We need cardio, strength training, and good nutrition to ultimately reach the goals we are seeking, and strength training will help us build the right amount of muscle we need for other forms of exercising and cardio, too. Cardio should be balanced between steady state and intervals.